A man in his early thirties, Onyiuke Nwedeogu, reportedly set himself on fire following a minor altercation with his wife.
In a tragic turn of events, he also set fire to the family home where his wife, Mrs. Felicia Nwedeogu, and their three daughters resided.
The incident took place in Ndiechi Igbeagu, located in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Community reports revealed that the conflict began on Sunday morning when Onyiuke had a minor argument with his wife, during which he physically assaulted her.
Afterward, he gathered his clothes and placed them in their provision shop.
An eyewitness further stated that Onyiuke took the issue to his parents’ house, located a few kilometers away, but grew dissatisfied with their efforts to mediate.
Frustrated, he returned home, forcibly removed the window protector where his wife and three children were sleeping, and set the house on fire with motor spirit, knowing that his family was inside and asleep during the early hours of the morning.
Another source revealed that after the altercation, the man took his belongings to their provision store, locked it and left, only to return at night with a gallon of motor spirit and set the house on fire.
The source added that Mrs Felicia Nwedeogu and three children were rescued through the same window husband had removed the protector after fire engulfed the entire building.
“The man, after setting the building on fire, drove away in his bus to a location where one Elijah rushed him to Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital (AE-FETHA), where he died on Wednesday,” he said.
The deceased’s body has been deposited at the AE-FETHA morgue.
It was reported that the grieving wife and her children were rescued in a hurry, with only a wrapper and the children’s pants on.
Police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Joshua Ukandu, stated that the command had not yet received an official report at the time of filing this update.